Hello to all.. Ive posted on here a few times about my nana..She suffers from Alz.. She began to progress with a few different symptoms such as stumbling legs collapsing out from underneath her , headaches, dizziness ,seeing things and peeing on herself..
Now this is the information Im wanting to pass on to people..She had a MRI done and they found fluid on the brain.. Hydrocephlias is what its called..I think I misspelled it.. the Dr said it was common among all ALZ patients b/c once the brain atrophys fluid takes its place and it effects them with the following symtoms above and more.. She went in a few weeks ago to have a shunt put in to drain the fluid and she seems to be getting along fairly well most of her symptoms have subsided..
So if someone has a a loved one suffering from this disease I think it would be worth there while to have a routine MRI to keep check on this b/c hydrocephias can make the ALZ symptoms worse.. Take Care

Hi lucky charms-
My husband was diagnosed with Adult Onset Hydrocephalus or as it is more commonly know Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) in "01 after at least 6 years of increasing confuson and frequent falls. He did not have incontinence which is also one of the symptoms. Our physician (at that time) said "What do you expect? He's not a young man." He was 72. After a move and new physician the NPH was finally diagnosed and a shunt installed.
We were told that his balance/gait would probably improve but that it was unlikely that the mental problems would, given the years that had passed since onset of the condition. Unfortunately they were right.
He suffers from dementia and with the help. although unknowingly, of this board and the people on it I accepted the fact that I could not give him the type of 24/7 care that he needed to be kept safe and I placed him a small residence in the area that caters to memory impaired individuals. He hs been there for three and a half months.
When I read your posts I realize that with it all I am very fortunate. My husband is as sweet as he ever was. He has never shown a bit of anger to me or the staff. Some days he recognizes me and some days not. Some days we have good conversations and some days not.
Bottom line: I miss "him" terribly and when I see couples out together it hurts, as does coming home to an empty house. Dementia, whatever the cause, is a female dog.
Beatrice

im sorry to hear about your husband...this disease is horrible..robs people from their happiness on both ends ..Maybe one day they will be able to find a cure for this ..
Getting back to the shunts yea they are not miracle workers for sure.. Esp when dealing with the mind cant bring something back that has already been lost : ( , but if it can help someones gait abilities or more its worth a shot..
Thats why I brought it up the topic.. I never knew in my life that once the brain starts to shrink that water fills in to compensate for the lacking..Plus I never knew that we all have water in the brain period.. Apparently we do though.. I guess it filters out every 24 hrs.. The body is a complex machine for sure.. Take Care